Mustache-guard



{No.ModeL) M. E. HARRINGTON.

MUSTAGHE GUARD.

N0. 411,988. Patented Oct. 1, 1889.

WITNESSES ATTORNEY N. PETERS Phmolilhographur, Wmhmglnn. 0.6.

- to be secured to the handle of an article of UNITED STATES PATENT @EEICE.

MAY EVANS HARRINGTON, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

MUSTACHE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,988, dated October 1, 1889.

Application filed June 6, 1889. Serial No. 313,409. (No modehl To (0% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAY EVANSHARRING- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, Alameda county, in the State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mustache-Guards, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof, in which Figure 1 is a perspective of my improved mustache-guard applied to a spoon. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the guard. and its springshank in a single piece with a modified form of clamp. Fig. a is a detail view of a further modification of the clamp.

The object of the invention is to provide a mustache-guard for attachment to spoons or cups when used in the act of eating soup and other liquid food, or drinking coifee, (he.

The invention consists in a guard proper having a yielding support or shank adapted table-ware used for conveying liquid food to the mouth of the user.

It also consists in certain details of construction, as will be hereinafter fully de scribed, and'speciiically pointed out in the claims.

A represents a table-spoon.

B is the guard, formed of metal or other suitable material and approximately in a crescent shape. To the guard is riveted or soldered an elastic shank or support 0, or the shank may be formed integral with the guard, as shown in Fig. 3. The outer end of the shank is bent toward the guard, as at 0', its extremity being in a lower plane than the main portion of the shank, and provided with an aperture through which the screw D of the clamp E passes. The clamp E is formed of two jaws e e,recessed at e e, to receive the handle, and provided below the said recesses with a recess and projection e 2 respectively, to prevent any lateral movement of the jaws. The binding-nut F clamps the elastic shank 0 against the outer face of one of the jaws and also forces the jaws firmly together, so that the guard will be securely held to the handle.

When it is desired to use the spoon for stir= ring, the guard may be swung up, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

If desired, the clamping-jaws ee maybe formed without the interlocking rib and projection, and the apertured endof the shank be held on the screw between the adjacent faces of the clamping-jaws e e, as shown in Fig. 3. The jaws e may he formed integral with the elastic shank, as shown in Fig. 4, and the screw omitted.

For use with a cup, it is simply necessary 'to how the elastic shank to some extent in order that the guard may rest just above that edge of the cup to be passed to the drinkers lips.

In use the spoon or cup is raised to the mouth and the guard will first pass under the mustache and raise it so that it will not touch the contents of the cup or spoon, the elastic shank yielding easily in order that the spoon or cup may pass freely to the lips.

The article maybe carried by the user when traveling and attached readily whenever he so desires, or when at home the guard maybe left upon the spoon or cup. A very marked advantage of the guard is that it will not be come heated or coated, as it is disconnected from the bowl of the spoon or cup. \Vhere the guard is formed as an integral part of a cup, it covers part of the top and hot coiiee will heat it to such an extent as to render its use very annoying, and in the same way a guard partially covering the bowl of a spoon would become immersed in the liquid food and transfer it to the mustache and thus defeat its very purpose. Moreover, the under sides of such guards not being exposed are not apt to be kept clean; but the under as well as the upper side of my guard are at all times visible.

The elastic shank could, if so desired, be permanently attached to the spoon-handle by soldering or otherwise; but a readily-detachable guard is greatly to be preferred, and I do not restrict myself to any particular means for securing the end of the shank to the handie, as this may be varied indefinitely.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As a new article of manufacture, a Inns ICO (ache-guard provided with a spring extending in the direction of its length, and means at the free end of the spring for securing it to the handle of the article to which it is to be applied, whereby, when in place, the guard will be supported above the edge of the article and have a laterally-yielding movement, substantially as set forth.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a mustache-guard provided with a spring extended in the direction of its length and bowed atits free end, and a clamp at the bowed extremity of the spring to' embrace the handle of the article to which the guard is to be applied, whereby the guard may be supported above the edge of a spoon or cup and have a laterally-yielding movement, substantially as set forth.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a mustache-guard provided with an elastic shankor support having its free end extending toward the guard and into a lower plane than the main portion of the shank, and a clamp provided with an adjusting-screw passing through the free end of the shank, substantially as set forth. a

4. The combination, with an article of tableware for use in eating liquid food, of a yieldin g mustache-guard secured thereto above and independent of the edge thereof, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with a spoon or analogous article, of an elastic shank or support secured to the handle and extending over the bowl thereof, and a guard on the said shank above the bowl, substantially as set forth.

(3. The combination, with aspoon, of a guard provided with an elastic shank having clamping-jaws embracing the spoon-handle, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with a spoon, of an inwardly-yielding guard above and projecting beyond one edge of the bowl, substantially as set forth.

8. As a new article of manufacture, amustache-guard having a spring extending in the direction of its length, and a clamp at the outer end of the .spring and on which it has a verticall y-swin gi n g movem en t, substantially as set forth.

MAY EVANS HARRINGTON.

Vitnesses:

WM. HARRINGTON, JAMES H. GRIDLEY. 

